Russia launches patriotic smartphone contender
Russia has launched the world’s first ever smartphone which can pick up both GPS and its rival Russian satellite positioning system, Gionass.
The MTS Gionass 945 Android device is being seen as an attempt to demonstrate Russia’s technological independence but thus far these political manoeuvres have left the public cold with a hefty £237 and the pointlessness of using an additional redundant positioning system deterring many.
Mobile Research Group analyst Eldar Murtazin said: “The key point is, a consumer doesn't care if it's GPS or GPS-Glonass, they get their coordinates in either case - so why pay more?
Dmitry Khovansky, PR manager for Digital Centre ION, Russia’s largest telecoms store, noted: "You can't say it's a sort of a 'Russian iPhone', as some people have called it. And it's not just about the navigation - this particular model is simply not very popular.
Undeterred however patriotic Russian authorities have begun to roll the system out to police and other public sector workers to reduce dependence on their arch American rivals.
They state that the coordinates provided by the system are more precise and starts around twice as quickly as a single system device.
Russian pride was dented by one aspect of the phone’s construction however – it is manufactured in China.